What is FromThePage?

FromThePage is free software that allows volunteers to
transcribe handwritten documents on-line. It's easy to index and annotate subjects within a text using a simple, wiki-like mark-up. Users can discuss difficult writing or obscure words within a page to refine their transcription. The resulting text is hosted on the web, making documents easy to read and search.

How do I get started?

Try transcribing:
Julia Brumfield's 1922 diary is only partly transcribed, so it would be a great place to test drive the software.

Start your own project: If you'd to run a transcription project, we'd be interested in hosting your effort on fromthepage.com. Send your images to images@fromthepage.com. You'll be notified as soon as they are available for transcription.

Run your own server: The software is released under the GNU AGPL v3.0, a Free/Open Source license. If you are running a web server and want to install FromThePage yourself, see the installation instructions on GitHub.

Project Spotlight

The Julia Brumfield Diaries are an incomplete collection
of diaries written between 1915 and 1938 chronicling life
on a tobacco farm in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Currently the diaries for the years 1918 through 1923 have been scanned, and 1918 and 1919 have been fully transcribed and indexed, while 1920 and 1921 are still being indexed.

The East Civil War Papers attest to the Civil War experience of George W. East, a private who enlisted in the 53rd Virginia Infantry, participated in Pickett's Charge, and died in the prisoner-of-war camp at Point Lookout, Maryland. The papers include an empty envelope and a letter written by East in 1862, as well as a letter written by East's cousin describing his death at Point Lookout.